Saturday, July 20, 2019 Volume 91, Number 2 Daily Bulletin 91st North American Bridge Championships [email protected] | Editors: Paul Linxwiler, Chip Dombrowski, Sue Munday Ricker is Teacher of the Year GNT top flight: Vegas For ABTA/Master Point Press Teacher of the decided to start battles New England, Year Jim Ricker of Knoxville TN, the focus of teaching bridge. teaching bridge is on growing the game. “Teaching He wasn’t So Cal meets NYC them is easy,” Ricker said. “Keeping them is satisfied with any In the Championship Flight of the Grand hard.” of the teaching National Teams, the Vegas-based squad captained Ricker has had a lot of success in keeping materials by Sheri Winestock (Dirstict 17) will face the them. Eight years ago there were 3100 tables at the available – he Boston-centric team (D25) led by Pat McDevitt in seven clubs that use the Knoxville Bridge Center. wanted to teach the semifinal round. In the other semifinal bracket, Last year there were 5800. This 88% growth is 2/1 from the Shailesh Gupta’s squad from D22 (Southern the result of a successful player recruitment and beginning – so California) will play the D24 team (New York development program, he says. “Every limited at the same time City) captained by Joe Grue. game in Knoxville has had 200% growth over he decided to In the quarterfinal round, D17 squeezed out Ira eight years.” write his own Hessel and company (Texas: D16) 89-73. The D25 That’s the length of time Ricker has been textbook. It was team advanced when they handled the LA-based playing. He got dragged into bridge by his wife, a Catch-22: He needed the materials to be able squad led by John Jones (D23) 151-94. Patti, who was retiring then. She wanted to find to teach the class, but he needed the teaching continued on page 7 something “fun, easy and relaxing,” Ricker tells experience to be able to write the book. So he did people, usually to hysterical laughter. Bridge both at the same time, writing a chapter each week wasn’t exactly those things, but they liked it while preparing for that week’s class. Bramley-Woolsey set anyway. Ricker is now a director, a club owner, a pace in von Zedtwitz There was a need for teachers in the area, so teacher, a cook and the author of three books. He Scoring 61.57% and 68.51% respectively in with just two years of playing experience, Ricker the first and second sessions of the von Zedtwitz continued on page 5 LM Pairs, Bart Bramley of Dallas and Kit Woolsey of Kensington CA topped the opening round of Board removes more titles from the contest. Their carryover for today’s semifinal round is 1096.58. convicted cheaters In second with a carryover of 1058.60 is At its meetings in Las Vegas earlier this week, the first date of any recorded Howard Weinstein of Rancho Mirage CA and Bob the ACBL Board of Directors voted to remove partnership of those pairs in the Hamman of Dallas. titles from pairs expelled from the organization ACBL. Third with 1054.54 is Italy’s Irene Baroni and for collusive cheating. The resolution is more far- Such titles and second- Vasileios Vroustis of Greece. reaching than previous ones taken by the Board. place finishes will be recorded The measure states that the ACBL strips all in official ACBL records as NABC+ titles and second-place finishes from any “Vacated.” Ohio couple player partnership, each of whom has, from the Although the Board considered the additional date of Aug. 22, 2015 onward, been (1) expelled step of elevating the finishing places of all leads Bruce LM Bob Stitt and Stefanie Stitt of Dayton OH from the ACBL for any reason; or (2) resigned remaining partnerships in all events (except posted the best score in the opening round of the for the purpose of avoiding possible disciplinary knockouts) where such titles had been stripped, Bruce Life Master Pairs, limited to players with actions; or (3) suspended for ethical violations. it ultimately rejected that idea. The standings of fewer than 6000 masterpoints. Further, the approved motion strips any all other pairs and teams from affected contests The Stitts scored 66.20% in the afternoon NABC+ titles and second-place finishes held by remain unchanged. session and 57.32% in the second set to lead the such pairs, or by teams including such pairs, to field of qualifiers going into today’s semifinal round. George Rosenkranz 1916–2019 In second is the California duo of Marc Renson and Bob Sanner. They were first after the Grand Life Master and ACBL Hall of Famer fled Europe in 1940 afternoon session, scoring 68.85%, but dropped to George Rosenkranz died June 23 at his home in to escape the rise of second following a 53.58% game in the evening Atherton CA. He was 102. fascism. Although session. Rosenkranz, a 12-time NABC champion, was he planned to In third is another California-based pair: James also a bidding theorist and author. Developer of relocate to Ecuador, Weeks and Neil Stern. the Romex System, he invented the Mexican 2♦, he became stranded the Rosenkranz double and redouble, and spiral in Havana, Cuba, cuebidding. He authored or co-authored a dozen in December 1941, Georgia pair leads Young The Atlanta-based duo of Santhosh Karnik and books on bridge. with the entrance of Zhuangdi Xu set the pace in the opening round For several years, Rosenkranz wrote a column the U.S. into World of the Young 0-2500 Pairs. The pair capped a in the Bridge Bulletin, named “Tips for Tops.” War II. It was there, modest 54% game in the afternoon session with a Rosenkranz lived in Mexico for decades while researching hormone synthesis, that he met powerful 67.64% set in the evening. and represented that country in several world Edith Stein, a fellow refugee from Europe, and In second is the NYC couple of Valerie championships. they married in 1945. Deneroff and Martin Deneroff, while third place is In 1990, Rosenkranz was named the ACBL Later that year, he was recruited to work for occupied by Tanaaz Timblo and Jayendu Patel of Honorary Member of the Year. He was inducted Syntex, a pharmaceutical lab in Mexico City. Vista CA. into the ACBL Hall of Fame in 2000 as the There, Rosenkranz became an integral part of recipient of the Blackwood Award. a team that developed a synthetic hormone for A Hungarian Jew who earned his doctorate in ovulation restraint, later to become commonly chemical engineering in Switzerland, Rosenkranz continued on page 5 Goodwill Message Pre-registration information Today is Junior Day. Extend a special Pre-registration for the Spingold is required before 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 21. Entries may be welcome to our younger players. They are the purchased in the Gracia Ballroom, third floor. future of bridge. Pre-registration is required for the Mini-Spingold KO Teams (6000 and 2500) before 11 a.m. on Sandy DeMartino, Chair Tuesday, July 23. Entries may be purchased in the Gracia Ballroom, third floor. Aileen Osofsky Goodwill Committee Page 2 Saturday, July 20, 2019 Daily Bulletin SPECIAL EVENTS MEETINGS / SEMINARS / RECEPTIONS All meetings are at The Cosmopolitan. 8:30–10 am Audrey Grant’s Modern Techniques for Bridge Saturday, July 20 Teachers and Club Managers. Audrey Grant’s hands-on Junior Day approach and creative use of the table, cards and bidding 8 am–noon Best Practices Teacher Workshop. Session two of three. boxes keeps students engaged, excited and focused. She Learn modern teaching techniques in this interactive will share these teaching techniques in this 90-minute course which includes hands-on experience. Pre- seminar. Fee: $20 covers materials. Condesa 3, second registration required. Assessments will be Monday and floor Tuesday. Condesa 5, second floor 9–10 am ACBL General Membership Meeting. Open to all 9 am–noon ACBL Educational Foundation meeting. Suite 1537, ACBL members. Reports from the executive director, 15th floor director of finance and in-house counsel. Proposals from 9 am–noon Masterpoint Committee meeting. Suite 6113, 61st floor the membership in proper form will be accepted if a 10 am–noon Free Bridge Lesson with Barbara Seagram followed quorum is present. Gracia Ballroom, third floor by a special game for newer players. Condesa 3, second 10 am–noon Board of Governors meeting. All members of the ACBL floor Board of Governors are invited to attend the Summer 10:30 am–noon Hall of Fame Committee meeting. Bellavista NABC meeting. Gracia Ballroom, third floor Boardroom, second floor 10 am–noon Free Bridge Lesson with Audrey Grant followed by a Noon–2 pm BridgePlus+ Game. A special game for newer (0-20 MP) special game for newer players. Condesa 3, second floor players. 14 boards, no card fee. Brera 2, third floor Noon–2 pm BridgePlus+ Game. A special game for newer (0-20 MP) 1–6 pm Learn Bridge in a Day?™ This popular session is players. 14 boards, no card fee. Brera 2, third floor designed especially for true beginners, those returning 1–5 pm Doubles in a Day. Learn two useful doubles that come up to bridge after long absences and those merely wanting every time you play in this workshop from Patty Tucker. to test the waters before committing to formal classes. Fee: $25 at the door (includes textbook). Condesa 3, The concentrated course includes both class instruction second floor and coached play. No pre-registration required. Fee: $25 7:30–10 pm The Kids Table.